Moe says education minister should meet with alleged victims of abuse at schools

Premier Scott Moe isn’t against the idea of government members meeting with victims of alleged abuse at some Saskatchewan independent schools.

Some victims say they’ve been trying to meet with government officials since before allegations started to come out but have had no luck.

On Monday, Moe said the administrators who have been appointed to three schools in the province should be meeting with victims. He also said Education Minister Dustin Duncan should also meet with them in the “not-too-distant future.”

“I don’t know that I’ve had a request in my office but I wouldn’t object to it in the future as well,” said Moe.

Moe said he thinks the issue is something that’s important to many families across the province, for the qualified independent schools, and for public and Catholic schools.

“When there are all too often very unfortunate things that happen due to individuals, most certainly we feel very strongly that … first and foremost those that should be held accountable are, and we would hope that that most certainly is the case here as well,” said Moe.

A number of former students of a Saskatoon religious independent school have come forward in recent weeks, alleging serious and frequent incidents of abuse by staff members including corporal punishment and sexual abuse.

Several ex-students have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking $25 million in damages, and Duncan introduced new oversight measures including the appointment of administrators at schools where staff members have been connected to the allegations.

One independent school, Grace Christian School, lost its certification last week after refusing to co-operate with the government-appointed overseer.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Libby Giesbrecht